The 2016 Summer Olympics starts in less than five days, and I can’t wait! Since childhood, I’ve lived for the Olympics, and I’m thrilled we’ve got them every two years. I remember having to wait four years for the lot of them;-)
The Olympics signify the culmination of work for these elite athletes across the globe, and the blood, sweat and tears, countless blisters, injuries and defeats along the way make these people truly remarkable. I cry with them when their national anthems are played, not just for my own country either. I also cry when they fall, or come up a second too slow. All those years of hard work and the glory within their grasp, only to have it slip through their fingers is enough to bring anyone to their knees.
Via telegraph.co.uk
The athletes remind me of my younger years, but they also remind me of the present. Like athletes, writers are put to the grindstone, hoping and praying to eek onto a bestseller’s list to join the likes of J.K. Rowling or John Grisham. While we don’t push our body’s to the limit, we do push our minds to the brink of insanity and back, and we do it over and over again.
Many a wakeful night have I jotted down notes or gotten up way too early to write for even a few minutes prior to my day getting started. Yes, we too, strive for the perfect opening line that will grab readers attention and hold them until the end. We, who get rejected, kicked to the curb, or doubted, keep striving and dreaming all along the way. Sure, many close shop, never to return, and it’s completely understandable, but then there are those who grit their teeth, batten down the hatches and plug away.
After having met a vast array of authors who are on their 30th rejection or who are just starting out, the camaraderie is critical. Without the support of friends and family, this ride could be downright terrifying. Okay, it’s already terrifying, but it’d be worse!
Behind every elite athlete is a person who pushed them, believed in them, and sacrificed for them in more ways than one. So, like these wonderfully amazing athletes, my hat’s off to the families of writers that have sacrificed money, sleep and sanity to help their loved ones dare to believe. It hasn’t gone unnoticed.
So, you can bet I’ll be watching with bated breath as each athlete takes the world stage for the first or last time, and I’ll be yelling at my television screen, urging and willing them on. Sure, I know they can’t hear me, but they know we’re watching. They can’t see the tears of joy pour like rain down my face in their triumphs or in the depths of defeat, and that’s okay. I’ll still do it;-) AND, I’ll be waiting for the scans of the crowd to pinpoint the nervous parents moving in rhythm to their daughters floor routine, or fidgeting in their seat, face flushed and heart pounding to see their child reach for the finish line. In that one brief moment, we can all rejoice along with them.
Three cheers for all the Olympic athletes and Olympic writers! Now, it’s your time to shine:-)
Happy Olympics,
KD
